


What I want

by Emilycollins00



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, Family Fluff, family support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29291562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emilycollins00/pseuds/Emilycollins00
Summary: Pre-Mankai!Because Tsuzuru needs to pursue his dreams and not sacrifice himself constantly for others, and if he doesn't see it, his family do.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	What I want

**Author's Note:**

> I have yet to see anyone from the Minagi household in action so this is my own interpretation. We need *clenches fist* more good parental support and I’ll be dammed if I won’t make them up if I have to.
> 
> Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Tsuzuru sometimes forgets to have breakfast in the mornings. There’s too much chaos at home so unless someone reminds him, he usually just takes an apple to have between classes and then eats something at his part-time jobs. He also tries to make everyone separate the colored laundry from the white one -this has yet to happen though- and does late night grocery shopping for cheaper ingredients, because end of the month is rough.

It’s a normal, uneventful life. A bit stressful sometimes, and so very much unlike those classmates who left for big universities to achieve their dreams. 

And while that didn’t mean Tsuzuru didn’t have goals of his own, it also didn’t mean he had the guts to voice them too loud.

“Yeah Meguru just arrived, I think he’s still unpacking his suitcase in the room. Mom is coming from the doctor with Takeru and dad should be- Noboru, Suberu, can you help the others change their clothes?” placing the phone between his ear and shoulder, Tsuzuru lifted a few pieces of paper frowning “Also, I’m pretty sure I told you guys not to leave your schoolwork on the floor.”

“Sorry, Tsuzu-nii!”

“Ugh, don’t move around!”

“I’m not!”

“I see everyone is the same as always” Tadoru smiled. His face on the phone screen was a little grainy, no thanks to the lousy internet connection.

With a sigh, Tsuzuru pulled to open the door of his room, a basket of washed clothes awaiting. He should have asked Kaoru for help before he went to take a bath “You can say that again”

“Anyway, what about you? University started last month, right? How is it going?”

He shrugged, not really looking at the screen. Truth was, he could feel the exhaustion starting to get to him. That however, was only for him to know “Nothing much” he finally answered, placing the phone on his desk while turning to the clothes “By the way, isn’t it pretty late over there? I thought you were taking an early plane tomorrow”

On the screen, his brother shook his head amused “Typical of Tsuzuru”

“What does that mean?” as much as he usually enjoyed talking with his older brother, today he really wasn’t in the mood to try and guess his weird riddles.

“Nothing, just… shouldn’t you call it a day? You look exhausted”

“I’m fine. There’s still things I’ve got to finish” he yawned.

“Well, might wanna add taking a break in that to-do list of yours”

“What’s going on?” Meguru’s voice chimed in, leaning over the doorway and tilting his head “Oh, hey Tadoru-nii. You two talking about something and didn’t include me?”

“Just playing my part as the oldest, wanna join?”

Tsuzuru glanced over at his second older brother inquiring look before rolling his eyes “Tadoru-nissan is just blabbering again” he mumbled, scooting down the bed and starting to fold clothes.

Meguru glanced at the phone, exchanging a quick and silent conversation with the oldest and then proceeding to plop next to Tsuzuru. “Sure, but you do realize you have literal bags under your eyes. You sure you’re sleeping?”

“I said I’m fine”

“His leg is bouncing, right?”

“Like he wants to make a hole on the floor” Meguru conceded “Which means he’s lying”

Tsuzuru winced inwardly, annoyed they could read him like that. Then again, he shouldn’t be surprised, it wasn’t like he couldn’t read them well either. They were brothers after all.

Meguru looked around the room. As always, it was flooded with books. On the shelves, on the small space above the rows of books and all along the table mixed with school papers. Most of them were old and overused, with notes sticking out of them. 

“Finished any new script recently?”

“I’m… working on it”

He hummed, placing his hand on his pockets “You know, you really should talk to mom and dad about becoming a professional scriptwright. I mean, if that’s your goal you should at least try sending samples to wherever-”

“I _said_ I’m working on it. I just don’t have time, ok?” there was a thin line of anger in his tone. Tsuzuru rubbed his eyes, trying to calm down “There’s a lot to do at home, and mom and dad deserve a break”

“You know, Kaoru told us you have been more stressed than usual lately”

“I can handle stress” he grumbled. 

“Are you even listening to yourself?”

“Tsuzuru, how about you stop taking care of everyone else and start taking care of yourself for once-?” before Tadoru finished the question, Tsuzuru had finally snapped.

“And how many times do I have to tell you two I can’t!” he lifted his head annoyed. His stomach turned- he hadn’t meant to yell that loud “It might be easy to say because you two are living out now, but I still need to check if the bank has received the scholarship money to pay the first trimester, Tooru and the twins have their exams coming up, Yuzuru needs a new bag by the end of this week and my boss needs an update from me to rearrange hours that I can’t give because my university professor is up my ass about some _stupid_ mistake I made over-”

He probably would have listed more things, but the look on his brothers’ faces made him press his lips together, stopping half sentence. He averted his turquoise eyes to the floor, frowning. It wasn’t the first time they had talked about this and he knew they did it because they cared, he really did. The thing was, Tsuzuru didn’t deal well with people trying to look after him. It felt weird. 

There was a moment of silence after that.

“…Look, there’s nothing wrong, okay? I want to stay here and I can help out more too. I just- I can’t aim to be a playwright. Not yet” he added, trying to reign his temper in again with great effort. He stood up to leave when he finally noticed a figure standing with a hand on the doorknob, and his heart almost stopped.

“Hey, mom” the other two greeted easily.

Her hair was tied into a bun, though it already was on the verge of falling down. Seeing she had also changed her clothes, Tsuzuru wondered how much she had heard, knowing his parent’s room was next door.

His mother smiled at them and turned to the second oldest “Meguru, I brought dinner. Could you please have everyone prepare the table? Your father will arrive soon.”

Tsuzuru’s mouth felt dry “I can go too.”

“We can finish folding clothes together. I see you were in the middle of it”

Meguru gave a sidelong glance at Tsuzuru and pressed his hands on the bed to stand up “Sure” on the other side of the line, Tadoru checked the time. He should probably prepare dinner for himself at his place “I’ll be going too, see you all in a few days”

“Remember to text us before you take the plane, okay?”

“Sure mom, take care”

And the call was also disconnected.

.

Though the Minagi household had a pretty wide range of personalities and fights were unavoidable, everyone loved each other deeply, that much was clear. And if that wasn’t thanks to his parents, Tsuzuru didn’t know anything anymore.

Since he was young, he saw how hard they always worked until late to provide everyone’s needs and, while for some families those needs were kind of basic, it worked for them.

Tsuzuru had also never heard them complain about life- Not really. Even when they both looked tired from work, they still made time for them; Trying to help with chores and being present in everyone’s special events. Tsuzuru definitely thought his parents were the strongest and kindest person he had met. You had to, with ten kids.

“How is Takeru?”

His mother sighed with a tired smile, closing the door behind her “Glad to say a fracture won’t make his energy slow down. The moment he saw me he screamed whether he could have his future cast in red with lightings” she chuckled, gesturing his son to move over, allowing her to sit “It was a weird fall though, so I figured we could- can you pass me those shirts?- I figured we could have a pizza night for once since Meguru is visiting too”

Tsuzuru hummed without facing her, quickly returning to his own folding “I’m sure everyone is excited”

Indeed, one could hear the faint voices from the rest of the family trespassing the room walls, along with a few laughs and running steps.

When they finished, she left the neatly folded clothes to the side and turned to him “I’ve been meaning to talk with you for a while, Tsuzuru. Your father too of course, but I think it’s okay if is just us two this time”

He felt a burning sensation in his chest, along with his stomach dropping “…I’m sorry for blowing up before. I promise you it’s not been that bad at home and I swear I can manage to schedule those part-times jobs with the assignments.”

His mom’s eyes, similar to his, softened at the corners “This is not about your jobs or about university, sweetheart. It’s about you trying to keep things from us”

Tsuzuru jolted, opening his mouth confused, but she gave him a ‘let me finish’ look, and he pressed his lips together again “And that’s okay” she continued “You don’t have to tell us everything. I’m not expecting that. You are old enough and more than capable of making your own decisions, I know that firsthand. Which is exactly why I also know you… tend to take more than you can. And that was- that has been our mistake”

Tsuzuru rubbed his face. A rapid, jerky movement to release some of the building tension in him. He wasn’t understanding anything “Mom I-”

“Sweetheart” she placed a hand on his shoulder “Why don’t you try staying in an actual theatre? Veludo Way is near Yosei and it’s supposed to be a good place to learn how to scriptwright”

He blinked confused, and it definitely took him more than a few seconds to finally find his voice again “…It’s fine mom. The schedule of my jobs aren’t that bad, and Kaoru and the twins have been helping out much more. Besides, I can always write in my free time. The others are always excited to listen anyway”

She nodded “I know. Your stories are amazing and every time you make a play out of them, it marvels me how it all started inside that brilliant head of yours” she took one of Tsuzuru’s hand and squeezed it “But even though that’s enough for me, for us… I know it’s not enough for you anymore”

Tsuzuru flinched, and his mom took him by the shoulder so they were facing each other. He pressed his lips together tighter, his mind barely allowing him to keep up with the sudden situation.

One hand rested in his lap, the other still clutched by his mother while she talked in that soothing tone that always calmed everyone down.

It still did, he noticed.

“Tsuzuru” she talked again, as gently as she could “It isn’t your job to look after us. And we should have done a better job before allowing you to think as such”

“You didn’t do anything wrong” he tensed his jaw and his eyes burned. Was he really about to start crying? “You are great parents, you didn’t- that’s not your- you didn’t. You really didn’t”

He didn’t know what else to say, feeling suddenly like a little kid again. Tiny and clueless in a world made for bigger people. The walls he had built to keep his own hopes and dreams aside threatened to collapse. It scared him.

His mother’s hand was now tracing calming circles on his back, and he stared at her once more. Or at least tried. His vision was blurry “…I just want to do my best for everyone”

“Oh, Tsuzuru” she pulled him into a hug, patting his hair like she did when he got upset as a child “I know” she assured him “And I can’t express enough how happy it makes me feel to see how you turned into such a wonderful and gentle person. But just as you try your best for everyone, we all wish for you to try as hard for your own happiness too”

“But-” he stopped himself, breathing shakily for a moment “If I leave like Tadoru and Meguru, who will take care of the house when you two are working? The money of a dorm is…”

“We will make it work it out” she pressed, trying to make him see it “Just like we did with your older brothers and will do with the others in the future. You need to stop overworking yourself for our sake and tell us what you want to do. I need to know”

Tsuzuru’s eyes were glistening. How could he say something like that? But his mother’s expression didn’t change, supportive and firm, yet gentle. And it was at that moment when he thought maybe he really was allowed to say it after all “I…I want to be a playwright, mom” he shivered. It had been a long time ago since he had said it out loud, but the words left his mouth easier than he thought they would “I want to _so_ bad”

She smiled “Then write, Tsuzuru. Pursue that dream. We will do anything in our power to support you always, okay?”

He hastily looked away, nodding while wiping his nose on his sleeve, which made her mom laugh and kiss tenderly the side of his forehead “You might have passed me in height, but you really are my baby”

“M-mom…” 

There was a light knock on the door. A man with messy brown hair poked his head inside “Hey, you two”

“Welcome back, dear” 

“Hi, dad”

The man smiled gently. Judging by their faces, the conversation had ended well “Are you two in for some pizza? Not sure if I can hold the fort much longer, even with Meguru’s help”

His mother chuckled and walked towards him “I was wondering how you two managed to keep them in check for this long”

“We might have-”

“Ah, wait” Tsuzuru talked before he realized it. They immediately turned to him, making him blush in embarrassment. He scratched the back of his head “I- um, Thanks. Thank you. I didn’t say it but… it means a lot”

They smiled fondly at their son’s awkwardness.

And as his mother caressed his cheek and his father ruffled his head affectionately, Tsuzuru made a mental note to text Tadoru and apologize later. Maybe thank him too.

The announcement went over almost alarmingly well. When they shared the news with the rest, their eyes immediately brightened. Meguru jumped off of the couch too, and clapped Tsuzuru on the shoulder while the young ones started rattling off ninety-miles-per-hour about possible ideas for his future stories, and Tsuzuru tried not to die on the spot.

They reheated the pizzas in the oven, and everyone playfully fought to get more than a slice. And if after everything he fell asleep on the sofa while reading scripts, his parents didn’t mention it.

Tomorrow he would take a look around Veludo. Maybe he could really find a dorm that allowed him to write.

That would be a nice start.


End file.
